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Hello all!
I am a graphic designer, that also enjoy to illustrate, animation, sculpting (from paper to clay) and music. Five times I have been invited to give (voluntary work) a workshop to children between 6-9 yo, and I have covered from animation, to paper sculpture.
Well, this autmn I am thinking on starting my own Art workshops, once a month. I am looking for some advice, on how to set this up, if someone here have done something similar?
As I love puppets, my first workshop will be about making marionettes with used materials. Simple ones, but very nice ones. I will have no more than 10 kids per workshop, and it will last two hours, with a break in the middle. I will provide materials, and some fruits and juice to the kids. My workshops are about ART, is not (ummmm) handcrafts. I allways give an introduction, talk about color technic, material use, and add music that is somehow related to the theme. I am aming to kids between 8-10 yo, because believe it or not, much of them still have problems using the sissors! (how sad...)

Budgets... I know that as it is my first workshop, I will proably loose some money, because I have not basic materials from before (like a bunch of sissors, glue bottles, brushes and so on). But the material related to each of my workshops, is used (used card boxes, used paper, pastic bottles, and much more). I love to go to the local reclycling shop to buy the wierdest stuff, for very little money.

I am also a mother of 4 under age kiddos, so I want the parents of my future students to think the prices for my workshops are very affordable. I am thinking of $15 per kid.
SO..... What do you think? Is this real, or I am dreaming?
I spent a LOT of times preparing each workshop, but eventually, when I repeat the theme, then the work is allready done, you know what I mean...

Thanks for ALL advices you can give, very much appreciated!
Ahhh, I live in Norway, so here I dont need a special insurance to hold such an activity on my own fascilities.

Have you checked the competition in your area? That is a first to-do. And is your suggestion of $15 for each lesson? Or a group of lessons?

In my area I've seen $50 per month or so for a weekly lesson.

Cover your materials, because they go fast, so price accordingly, and buy in bulk. Don't presume that because you don't have a lot of materials right now that you will be a loss on the first session, because glue even by the gallon will go quickly....

Thanks KatV! In my town, there is no other that offers that kind of workshops. Only the communal culture school offers handwork course for kids, and is cheap, around 75 dollars for three months, once a week. Mine wil cost 15 per workshop. Each workshop will be independent from the other, by theme. I will just have to try, as the content of my workshops is different. I am planning to do ONE workshop first, and see if I get ten kids (that is my limit per session).
Anyone knows an online art material shop with really good prices? Here in Norway, because is little population, the prices are crazy. Maybe I end travelling to Sweden to shop, they have much better prices! Thanks!

Oh wow, you are in Norway! My best friend was from Sweden, Degerfors (though she is painting in the heavens now) and her mom was from Norway, so I have strong affection for the region .......

My only suggestion since I don't know how shipping charges will affect you is to Google around for your supplies. Here if I don't use Blick I check Cheap Joes and other art sites, even Amazon sometimes for things for the kids. (Actually, I'll even check the dollar stores for things for the kids! Along with recycled stuff and nearly free stuff, like beans for mosaics, brown paper bags, mosaics from used fabric scraps and twine, printmaking from cleaned meat foam trays, etc....and much of my time with kids is teaching them to draw and really see what they are looking at, and that's cheap instruction!).

My other suggestion is that you price for a set number of sessions, because every time you get someone to sign up for lessons, you have made a sale, and why make yourself have to sell lessons 4 times over to every family in a month when you could sell 4 weeks at one go....In other words, 10 students a month times 4 needed sales a month is 40 sales a month! Or you could just do the 10 sales a month if you get them to sign up for a month at a time instead of one lesson at a time. You don't want to finish one lesson and think to yourself "ok, I only have to do that 39 more times this month to have an income flow..." .... you want to just think "great I've filled two weekly classes for the next month, and I'll get the kids so excited that I know they'll renew for the next month and bring their friends...."